Health Report

Associate Professor Michelle Lim, a clinical psychologist and CEO of Ending Loneliness Together, discusses the alarming rise of youth loneliness and its profound health impacts. She shares insights on how loneliness differs from isolation and stresses community solutions to address this issue. Joining her is Professor Barbara DeCorten from RMIT University, who reveals startling findings about the health risks of no-sugar drinks, suggesting they may pose similar dangers to type 2 diabetes as their sugary counterparts. This conversation challenges common perceptions about healthy beverage choices.

Enrico Coiera, director of the Centre for Health Informatics, discusses the benefits and potential pitfalls of AI scribes in healthcare, emphasizing the need for patient consent. Becky Freeman, a public health professor, highlights alarming trends in youth vaping, suggesting it could act as a gateway to smoking and calling for stricter regulations. Heinz Barmol, a psychology professor, explores the concept of mental time travel, explaining how it can enhance memory retrieval but can also destabilize memories during the process.

Just like human children, young bats have been found to harbour and spread lots of viruses. Their susceptibility to contracting multiple viruses at once makes them the perfect breeding ground for new disease variants. Also, we take a look at a study that seemed to show private hospital were better than public hospitals for childbirth. Is it that simple?And a survey of people with chronic conditions shows where Australia is ahead, and where we need to improve. 

David Coghill, a leading expert on ADHD and Chair of Developmental Mental Health at the University of Melbourne, joins Jim Buttery, an infectious diseases physician and RSV vaccination expert. They discuss how addressing five key cardiovascular risk factors can potentially add up to 14 years to your life, even if tackled in middle age. Coghill elaborates on the rising ADHD diagnoses and the intricate balance of treatment effectiveness. Buttery provides insights into the promising outcomes of the maternal RSV vaccination program to safeguard infants.

Marko Popovich, an ophthalmologist and retinal surgeon from the University of Toronto, discusses the intriguing concept of the human exposome, which maps environmental factors impacting health. He highlights concerns about GLP-1 drugs linked to wet age-related macular degeneration, emphasizing the need for safer prescribing guidelines. The conversation also addresses health disparities faced by Indigenous Australians regarding kidney disease and transplantation, exploring the systemic barriers that hinder equitable healthcare access.

Immunotherapy uses the body's immune system to fight cancer. In blood cancer, a revolutionary t-cell therapy has cured patients and could show promise in solid tumours. In bladder cancer, the tuberculosis vaccine is infused to treat non-invasive cancer. However a shortage of BCG means researchers are having to test out other methods. Also, is Australia on the front foot when it comes to type 2 diabetes treatment? And what does copper in the brain have to do with Parkinson's disease?

In the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence, it can sometimes feel like the answer to everything is right around the corner. A dog owner is testing this with the help of super-computing, to try and find another treatment for his dog's cancer. Also, the national lung cancer screening program is about to begin. Who is eligible, and is the healthcare system prepared?And with syphilis cases rising in the community, there are implications for expectant mothers. 

Hyenas and vultures play a role in driving down the risk of disease outbreaks, but their decline due to human behaviour is putting our health in danger.Also, we discuss Lifeblood's changes which bring down some of the barriers facing gay and bisexual men, and transgender women, who'd like to donate blood or plasma. Pain education could help people with osteoarthritis get the most out of exercise programs — and even walk the Camino. Plus there's a push to extend genetic carrier screening to cover dozens more conditions. 

There are concerns people are getting their hands on medicinal cannabis to treat conditions where there's very little evidence of benefit — and the possibility of harm. Also, why weight loss drugs could improve treatment for people with schizophrenia. The full breadth of corporate ownership of radiology clinics is revealed. And what questions need to be asked with IVF in the spotlight, as Monash IVF deals with the fallout from a second bungled embryo transfer.References:Medicinal cannabis prescribing practices under scrutiny after scripts issued 'every 4 minutes' - ABC News‘Infuriating and dangerous’: Psychiatrist tries and fails to speak with his patients’ medicinal cannabis prescribers - AusDoc.Efficacy and safety of semaglutide versus placebo for people with schizophrenia on clozapine with obesity (COaST): a phase 2, multi-centre, participant and investigator- blinded, randomised controlled trial in AustraliaCorporatisation and ownership concentration in diagnostic imaging: an audit of Australian practices

A structured exercise program has increased survival in people with colon cancer after they've undergone surgery and chemotherapy. Also, a common genetic variant could double the risk of dementia in men — if they receive two doses of the mutation. We provide an update on the flu, COVID and RSV circulating the community.And a study bringing together millions of lab tests has found is take a lot longer for the body to bounce back from pregnancy than commonly thought. References:Measles Seroprevalence in Infants Under 9 Months of Age in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysisGene–Environment Interaction Affects Risk of Atopic Eczema: Population and In Vitro StudiesStructured Exercise after Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Colon Cancer - NEJM Haemochromatosis Genotypes and Incident Dementia in a Prospective Study of Older AdultsPregnancy and postpartum dynamics revealed by millions of lab tests - ScienceAdvancesal issues from social, scientific and political points of view.